Rose Petals and Shadows
by jheyjette
Summary: Gekoukan Academy's entire sports branch is invited to attend the prestigious Ouran High School's Sports Invitational. When Minato, Akihiko, and Ken find themselves in the infamous Host Club's room after losing their way and chaos ensues...
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHNG

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><p>Chapter 1: Sports Invitation<p>

"Why do you think Mitsuru-senpai suddenly gathered us together?", Hamuko asked her brother, Minato, tilting her head to the side. Minato merely shrugged his shoulders in response, and proceeded to changing the track on his mp3 player.

The entire S.E.E.S. team had been gathered in the command room, waiting nervously for Mitsuru. Shinjiro had just been released from the hospital*, and having just discovered Ikutsuki's true intentions, the team expected Mitsuru to arrive with more grave news.

"I hear her coming!", Junpei exclaimed anxiously. Everyone in the room immediately tensed up, including Koromaru.

"Ah, good, everyone's here. I'm sure you're all wondering why I have suddenly decided to gather you all here together," Mitsuru said with a small smile upon entering the room. A sea of heads nodded in agreement.

"Very well, the matter I would like to discuss with you all is this," she then proceeded to show the group a white envelope with a gold seal.

"Wait, isn't that the Sports Invitational held in Ouran High once a year?" Yukari exclaimed, immediately recognizing the golden seal.

"That is correct. This year, the entire Gekoukan Academy will be participating in the Sports Invitational, this includes the middle and elementary school branches. Which means that Akihiko, Takeba, the Arisatos, Amada, and I will be absent for the next week," Mitsuru replied.

"So I guess that means that we won't be going to Tartarus for a while then…", Fuuka said after a rather long, awkward pause.

"Correct again. However, Shinjiro can take this time to fully recover, Iori can use this time to improve his grades (Junpei flinched at this), and Yamagishi can use this time to teach Aigis more about how to blend in with humans," Mitsuru replied.

"But we can at least come to the actual competition and cheer you guys on, right?", Junpei asked, desperate for an excuse to ditch a day of school.

"Of course, Iori, though the actual tournament takes place on Sunday, so I hope you don't mind sacrificing your day off for this".

Junpei's face immediately fell, but he hurriedly composed himself and said, "Of course! This is Ken's first big soccer competition, right? And what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't come to support Hamu-tan, Minato, Yuka-tan, and my dear senpais?"

"Well then, now that we have that settled, Takeba, Akihiko, Arisatos, and Amada, I expect the five of you to be ready to depart by 7 a.m. tomorrow morning."

"Wait! It starts tomorrow?", Yukari exclaimed in surprise. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I apologize…After all that's happened, I completely forgot about it…" Mitsuru replied; her voice beginning to tremble.

"No, sorry senpai…We'll definitely kick butt in this invitational! Right guys?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, a smile forming on their lips (as well as on Minato's and Shinjiro's, if you squint really hard).

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><p>The group was assembled by the dorms the following day.<p>

"Don't push yourself too hard, okay Shinji?", Akihiko said, turning to his friend. "Idiot, as if I'd die that easily", he replied with a smile. Akihiko chuckled in response and the two shook hands before separating.

"Don't throw any wild parties while we're gone!", Hamuko yelled as the group neared the doors, eyes locked on Junpei's. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?", he yelled back as the doors closed on them.

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><p>"Woah! It's huge!" Hamuko exclaimed once Ouran High's building came into view. Rio chuckled next to her and took a look at the building herself. The structure certainly was…impressive…to say the least. As the tennis club's bus reached its stop, Hamuko rushed out, ignoring Rio's cries to slow down, and nearly tackled her brother to the ground as he calmly exited the kendo club's bus.<p>

"Nii-san! Isn't the school huge? How many students do you think attend here?", Hamuko asked excitedly, ignoring her brother's desperate attempts to breathe for air.

"…Can't breathe…", he finally managed.

"Oh, sorry!", Hamuko exclaimed, face flushed as she let go of her now gasping brother.

"You two are as close as ever, huh?", Yuko said with a laugh. Though she was a bit jealous of Hamuko's bold show of affection to her brother, she simply had to keep reminding herself that the two were blood-related siblings to keep her temper in check. "Sorry to break you two up, but Minato and I have to go change into our uniforms now", Kaz said as he got off the bus.

"Oh, sorry! Yikes! I have to go too, or Rio's going to kill me! See you later!", she said with a wave.

"You alright?", Akihiko asked his underclassman as he approached them, Ken following closely behind.

"Yeah", the blunette replied, without a change of his facial expression despite nearly losing consciousness moments before. "Well, let's get going! We'll meet up with you later, okay Yuko?", Kaz said as he and the rest of the guys proceeded to get changed.

"Yeah, sure! Just don't forget, we're meeting in the 2nd Music Hall! Got that?", Yuko replied before going off with the other club managers.

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><p>"I'll go on ahead, okay Minato?", Kaz said after shoving the rest of his clothes into his locker. Minato nodded his head in agreement, half-asleep and still in the process of slipping on the bottom of his uniform.<p>

After a few minutes, Minato had finally completed his attire. On his way out, he was greeted by his upper and under classmen outside of the locker room.

"Did you guys wait for me?", he asked, feeling a bit sorry for making the two wait.

"Yeah, Hamuko asked us to keep an eye on you. She said you had the tendency to get lost easily", Akihiko said with a laugh. Minato nodded his head in agreement and nearly fell over and into la-la land before being grabbed and steadied by his senpai.

"I think that may be the main reason why Minato-senpai gets lost easily," Ken said, sweatdropping.

"Yeah, well, we better get going or Mitsuru will execute us for being late…", Akihiko replied with a shudder, not even wanting to think of the consequences he would have to suffer if he angered the ice empress.

"What room were we supposed to meet up with everyone again, Akihiko-senpai?"

"I think it was the 3rd Music Room…Ah! Minato! What's up?"Akihiko jerked in surprise as the blue-haired enigma suddenly came to a halt.

"We're here", he replied, pointing to a sign that read "3rd Music Room".

"Well I'll be", Akihiko said in response as he turned he door knob.

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><p>AN: Welp, that's all for now. This is my first fanfiction, so constructive criticism is much appreciated. I'll probably get to update this story frequently since summer vacation is coming up, so look forward to it! ^-^

*I decided to release Shinjiro out of the hospital early because I just didn't want to leave him out of this fic. Also, the current timeline is after the defeat of the final shadow boss and before Ryoji drops the news about Nyx to the S.E.E.S. team.

*I decided to put Ken on the soccer team because the poor kid kept missing out on all the fun activities like the beach trip and the Kyoto trip. But don't worry, I plan to have Ryoji and the rest of S.E.E.S. members meet up with the host club at some point in this fic…^-^


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING.

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><p>Chapter 2: Meet the Host Club!<p>

Just as Akihiko opened the grand doors, he was promptly greeted by a flurry of rose petals. "What the – "

"Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club!"

A long pause followed with the host club's members and the S.E.E.S. members present locking eyes with one another, the latter being in surprise and confusion. After a while, the one to finally break the silence was the usually reserved bluenette.

"Senpai, I think this is the wrong room. I'll call Hamuko to make sure." "Y-yeah, you're right. Come on Ken"; Akihko replied quickly catching on.

"Hold it!", came a dramatic cry from the blonde in the middle of the room, grabbing hold of Minato's wrist before he could phone his sister. "Judging by your attire, you are from one of the visiting schools from the Sports Invitational, correct?" The trio nodded in response, realizing how similar that voice was and compared it to a certain goateed, cap wearing lazy-bum back at the dorms. The three then decided to take in their surroundings. The room was pink. Incredibly, impossibly, infinitely pink, with several tables and comfy, expensive looking seats scattered around the area. Seated on said chairs were several curious, wide-eyed students, presumably from this school based on their uniforms. The way that some of these girls eyed the three S.E.E.S. members were… inappropriate to say the least...Though, one couldn't really blame them considering how the males in question were dressed.

Akihiko wore extremely short blue shorts and a tight, plain white sleeveless shirt with a black short-sleeved hoodie layered over it; that showed off his pale, toned muscles. The top half of Minato's kendo uniform hung loosely, showing much of his equally pale and (surprisingly, despite his seemingly frail and skinny appearance) toned muscles. Ken was dressed in his soccer uniform which consisted of black shorts of the same length as his school uniform's and a blue t-shirt that had the number 8 plastered on the back and his school's logo placed on the top-right hand corner on the front. Though, despite being conservatively dressed, Ken received the same unnerving looks from the female audience as his upperclassmen, most likely due to his rather adorable appearance.

Without warning, the girls suddenly began crowding around the trio, bombarding them with numerous questions.

"You're Akihiko Sanada right? I heard you've never lost a wrestling match, even back in middle school! Kya! I can't believe I meeting you in person!"

"I heard you're the ace of the kendo team even though you just transferred! How did you get so good since you didn't have any previous experience? By the way, your blue hair looks totally cool!"

"Ohmigosh! You're the little ace from the Gekoukan elementary branch's soccer team, right? You're so much cuter in person!"

Ken, despite having received his fair share of love letters and confessions, was not used to receiving attention from hormonal, and (seemingly) rabid teenage fangirls. He then proceeded to hide behind his two upperclassmen, which made the fangirls even more fanatic, squealing at how cute and "moe" he looked hiding behind his seniors' legs. (Ken wasn't sure what that meant, but he had heard Junpei use the term to describe an anime heroine before, though he was promptly smacked upside the head by Yukari before he could explain what the term meant).

"Akihiko Sanada, Minato Arisato, and Ken Amada, correct?", interrupted a bespectled, raven haired student. "I'm sorry ladies, but may I have a word with these guests?", he asked with a gentle smile that somehow emanated sparkles and roses. The girls present blushed a deep red and quickly exited the premises.

"Well then, why don't we start with introductions? I am Kyoya Ootori."

"I'm Kaoru", announced a spiky-red head.

"And I'm Hikaru", continued another student with the same face as the previous speaker.

"Hitachiin", they finished in unison.

"My name's Mitsukini Haninozoka! But you can just call me Honey!" exclaimed a short blonde clutching a pink plush bunny.

"Takashi Morimoto" voiced a tall, raven-haired teen. His seemingly stoic nature reminded Ken and Akihiko of a certain bluenette standing between them.

"I'm Haruhi Fujioka, it's nice to meet you," said a rather feminine-looking brunette with a kind smile.

"And I'm Tamaki Suoh! The President and King of this establishment!" The blonde holding onto Minato's wrist announced with a dramatic wave of his free arm; producing a bright red rose out of thin air. Just then, Minato's bright, blue phone buzzed. _Write me an endless song (when you let go) As I'll feel so alive kurikaesu Soul phrase (I'm walking on my way)- _

"Hello?"

"Nii-san! Where are you?"

Minato then proceeded to pull the phone away from his left ear and covered his right ear with his free hand. After Hamuko calmed down, Minato tentatively placed the phone back onto his ear.

"We're fine, Hamuko. We just got lost and are currently being held captive by a group of students led by an eccentric blonde that thinks he's some king." Minato said all this in monotone wearing an emotionless mask, causing the occupants in the room to drop their jaws in unison (with the exception of the Hitachiin twins, who broke down laughing, and Kyoya, who found difficulty in attempting to hold down a chuckle). Tamaki merely gaped at the bluenette in shock and immediately proceeded to sulk in his corner of woe. Minato paid no heed to his companions' reactions and merely nodded his head and grunted a 'Hn' here and there in agreement to whatever Hamuko was saying on the other end of the phone. After a while, Minato ended the call and turned to his two teammates.

"Hamuko and the others will be here soon to take us to the second music room." The other two nodded in response, relieved to be granted an exit from the strange situation they had found themselves in. Upon hearing this, Tamaki snapped out of his stupor and quickly approached the visiting students.

"Wait! Don't leave yet! You haven't listened to our offer yet!"

The trio stared at the blonde quizzically after hearing his sudden outburst. "Offer?" Akihiko ventured to ask.

"Yes, that is correct. As you noticed earlier, the three of you seem to be rather popular with the ladies. Having you temporarily work with us could benefit both parties and additionally – "

"Nii-san! Akihiko-senpai! Ken! Are you here?" Hamuko slammed the host club's doors open, yelling out the question before being greeted by several pairs (save for Minato's) of confused eyes. Tamaki was the first to recover and produced yet another red rose out of thin air and offered it to Hamuko.

"My fair maiden, I believe this is the first time we've met." He then pressed Hamuko closer to him and gave her his best flirtatious smile whilst somehow emitting sparkles in the background. An infuriated Akihiko and Ken broke the pair up without hesitation, both glaring daggers at Tamaki after doing so. Tamaki whimpered once more and Minato had a difficult time stifling a chuckle.

"Are you alright? That weirdo didn't do anything to you, did he?" Akihiko asked, turning to Hamuko. His face then turned bright red upon finally eying Hamuko's full figure. Ken followed suit soon after, causing Minato to crack a small, sly smile which did not go unnoticed by the ever-sharp Kyoya. This was the first time both Akihiko and Ken had seen Hamuko dressed in her tennis uniform, which consisted of a puffy short-sleeved, white collared shirt with the school's logo located on the top-right hand corner; with a dark blue skirt with black shorts peeking beneath. By no means was her attire inappropriate in any way, but the way she wore it so well caused the two males gaping at her at that moment to blush wildly.

"Wait up, Hamuko-chan! Geez, you run way too fast!" Yukari, followed by Mitsuru, both entered the host club's room, gasping for air. Yukari was dressed in the archery club's uniform, and Mitsuru was decked out in her fencing uniform as well, her rapier already on standby at her waist (in case some executions were in order). Tamaki, not missing a beat, proceeded to flirt with the two girls, forgetting his mishap that occurred mere seconds before. Yukari, sensing the storm to come, immediately dodged the blonde's attempt to make contact with her hand. Mitsuru ignored the blonde as well, but not because she had possessed the same "flirt senses" as Yukari. It was because she was taken aback at how Minato was…er…dressed. Yukari followed her senior's gaze end felt her jaw immediately drop at the sight of Minato's bare chest. Minato, not noticing his teammates' reactions, turned to Hamuko.

"Thanks for coming, shall we go now?" he asked. Hamuko nodded her head in reply, still unsure as to why Ken and Akihiko suddenly turned so darn red. The group then proceeded to leave the room before being stopped by a cold, sharp voice.

"Are you sure you would want to depart without hearing our offer?" Kyoya asked, glasses shining brightly.

"Offer?" Mitsuru asked, echoing Akihiko's previous question.

"Allow me to explain, we would like your three male companions to work in our host club throughout the duration of their stay. Of course, they will be handsomely paid for their efforts. How does 50,000 yen per customer sound?"

"They'll do it!" Hamuko yelled out excitedly. With that amount of money, she could finally buy those butler outfits she had been eying at Officer Kurosawa's shop. Akihiko was about to protest before being interrupted by Ken's sudden, innocent question.

"Um, what is a host club anyway?" Ken asked, tilting his head to the side.

"A host club is a place where women come to relieve their stress", Minato answered, much to the surprise of the majority present in the room. "How does a host club relieve a woman's stress?" Ken asked, still confused by the subject. "In the same way that men relieve their stress in cabarets. They pay-" Minato was abruptly cut off when Hamuko and Akihiko's hands covered his mouth. Hamuko shuffled about nervously and said, "A host club is a place where, erm, gentlemen treat ladies like…princesses…I guess?"

"Oh, I see" Ken nodded in affirmation, satisfied with the answer he was given. Hamuko and Akihiko then released Minato's surprisingly well-informed mouth and let out a sigh of relief.

"But aren't host clubs supposed to be made up of males only?" Minato asked, unphased by his sister and upperclassman's previous actions.

"Why of course, what makes you ask that?" Tamaki asked nervously.

"Because that person over there is female," Minato replied, pointing to Haruhi.

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><p>AN: Okay! Finally got it done! I edited chapter 1 as well since I noticed some line break issues as well as some missing question marks. As for pairings, there are no specific ones yet (with the exception of TamaHaru), so if you have any suggestions, feel free to include that in your reviews! Also, if you notice anymore grammar mistakes, feel free to (nicely) point it out.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the late update…My computer crashed for a while and…yeah…Anyway, I'll probably be able to update quicker since I don't have much to do this sumer aside from violin lessons. :D A special thank you goes to persona3addict and namine23 for being my first two reviewers. And since namine23 is my first reviewer and the only one to vote on pairings thus far, there will be some Hamuko x Akihiko fluff in the next chapter. Anyways, on to the story:**

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><p>Chapter 3: Secrets<p>

"Because that person over there is female," Minato replied, pointing to Haruhi.

The room was dead silent for what seemed like ages until Hamuko finally decided to break the silence. "Nii-san, it's rude to point", she said, gently pulling her brother's arm down. Minato complied but continued to fix his emotionless gaze on Haruhi. "I see, so you found out, huh?" Haruhi said with a sigh. She didn't really care about having her secret out at this point and felt rather relieved that there were other people outside of the club (with the exception of Nova) who now knew of her true identity. Another pregnant pause ensued after Haruhi confirmed her true gender, only to be broken this time by the Host Club's President.

"What are you saying, Haruhi?" Tamaki asked in fear and shock. There was no way he would permit another male outside of the host club to learn of his precious daughter's true gender after the "Nova Incident". "Besides", he continued, "what proof do you have that Haruhi here is male?" he directed his gaze to the bluenette, pointing an accusing finger to his face.

"She just admitted it", he simply said.

"That's not enough proof!" Tamaki pressed on.

"But senpai-"

"No buts, Haruhi! Don't worry, your Daddy will take care of this!"

"Nii-san's right. He has a built in cross-dresser radar."

Everyone then turned their attention to the tennis player with confused looks. "A cross-dresser radar?" Yukari ventured. Hamuko nodded her head in response, "Minato and I were part of a cross-dressing café back in middle school for the cultural festival. I was a dog-eared butler and Minato was a cat-eared maid. Minato was a real hit with both the female _and _male customers. I mean, I knew Nii-san was popular with both sexes before since he has a pretty face, but after the cultural festival, his male admirers increased even more. When we would come to school together, he would open his shoe locker to find TONS of love letters, and he wouldn't even bother to read them! He would just dump them all in the nearest trash can with this scary look on his face. It didn't matter if the letter was from a girl or a guy, oh, and don't get me started with his stalkers. Nii-san didn't even bother changing in the same gym lock-"

"That's enough, Hamuko", Minato said, placing a hand over his sister's mouth.

"So you gained this ability after a traumatic experience, I take it?" Kyoya asked as he began to write something on his clipboard, ignoring Tamaki's flailing around and his failed attempts to divert the group's attention to anything other than Haruhi's true gender.

"Yup!" Hamuko exclaimed, removing her brother's hand from her mouth, "and Nii-san's never been wrong with his predictions since then! Hm, what's wrong Yukari-chan, Mitsuru-senpai?"

Both Yukari and Mitsuru's faces were extremely red, both girls mumbling a "m-maid" and "c-c-cat-ears" and "moe" every now and then. Hamuko couldn't help but giggle at their reactions, earning a confused look from her brother.

"_That would explain why Minato's been so wary around Ryoji", _Ken and Akihiko thought.

{{FLASHBACK}}

"_Hamuko! I'd love you no matter what gender you are!" Ryoji suddenly announced in the dorm lounge one Sunday afternoon while the group was eating lunch. Before Hamuko could reply, Ryoji then turned his attention to Minato and picked up his left hand, "So Minato, if someone manages to steal Hamuko away from me, since you _are _technically her male counterpa-" His hand then met a firm death grip and looked up to see that Minato's lifeless eyes had suddenly darkened a great deal. "Sorry, my hand slipped. Also, don't bother, I will always be straight." Minato then resumed eating, acting as if nothing had happened. "Aw! Minato! I didn't know you were such a tsundere!" Ryoji then made an attempt to glomp both of the Arisato twins until…_

_BANG!_

_Ryoji then found that he had been pierced by a rapier, an arrow , and a cooking knife, somehow got shot in the leg by golden bullets, and was punched by both Akihiko and Shinjiro in the face._

"_Ah! Are you alright Ryoji-kun?" Hamuko gasped in panic._

"_Are you alright, Ryoji?" Minato asked apathetically._

"_Sorry, my hand slipped", the S.E.E.S. (barring Junpei, Koromaru, and Ken) members announced with murderous auras._

"_Minato! You really _do_ care about me!" Ryoji then spread his arms out, ready to give the male Arisato a warm, _friendly_ hug in appreciation until – _

_Ryoji found himself being hugged by Minato from behind and was then pulled back with great force. It took him a while to realize that the seemingly frail bluenette had somehow performed a perfect German suplex on him. And then the room was filled with applause._

{{FLASHBACK}}_  
><em>

Ken sweat-dropped at the memory and turned his attention to the other brunette in the room. "But, why are you working in a host club if you're a girl?" he asked, looking up at a Haruhi with wide, innocent eyes.

"Oh, it's to pay off a vase worth 8,000,000 yen that I accidentally broke," Haruhi replied.

"I thought all of the students in this school are rich?" Akihiko questioned.

"Haru-chan's really smart! She's a scholarship student so she doesn't have to pay for the tuition! But that also means that she's really, really poor, so she can't pay for the vase on her own!" Honey said with a smile.

"Um, I've been wondering for a while, but did you skip any grades?" Ken asked the blonde.

"Nope! I'm eighteen years old! How about you, Ken-chan?"

"I-I'm ten years old…" Ken replied, clearly taken aback upon learning that the short blonde that stood eye-level with him was actually his senpai.

"Awww, how cute! Are you really eighteen?" Yukari gushed, recovering from her dazed state.

"Uh-huh!"

"It's nice that everyone's getting along and all, but it's getting late and you six must be getting to the second music hall soon," Kyoya reminded the visiting athletes.

"Yikes! That's right! Rio's going to have my head for taking so long!" Hamuko yelled in shock.

"Our first meeting will be at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon! Don't be late!" Tamaki announced, recovering from his previously broken state once more. The three addressed boys nodded their heads and followed after their three teammates.

"Are you sure it's alright for them to know about your secret, Haruhi?" Mori asked his underclassman. "Yeah, it's fine." Haruhi replied, surprised to hear her usually reserved senpai voice his opinion on the situation. "Um, Tamaki-senpai, I've been wondering for a while, but where are the twins?" Haruhi asked in alarm upon realizing their lack of presence. Tamaki turned to face her and smiled a sinister (at least, he hoped it was) smile. "I sent them on a little errand."

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><p><strong>AN: Another cliffie~ Sorry about that, but I'll update again as soon as possible! Also, the next chapter will be the first host club meeting with the S.E.E.S. boys. And just what kind of errand did Tamaki send the twins to do? (Though I'm pretty sure you guys can figure that out on your own) Anyways, until next time, and reviews are much appreciated! :3**


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: SERIOUSLY, I OWN NOTHING.

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><p>"I don't see what the boss is so worried about, I mean, those guys don't look like they would bring any trouble…At least, not something we can't handle," Hikaru commented as he looked through Minato's luggage. "You know how paranoid the boss can be about new recruits," Kaoru answered from inside Akihiko's closet. "The fact that the blue-haired guy managed to figure out that Haruhi's a girl sent him even more on edge."<p>

{{Earlier}}

"What is it, boss?" the twins asked in unison. While Hamuko was relaying the events of the cultural festival, Tamaki had dragged the two towards a more secluded a location. Placing both hands on the redheads' shoulders, a dark smile formed on the corners of his lips. "I need the both of you for a very important mission."

"Mission?" the two asked with questioning faces. It only took a few minutes for the twins to realize the blonde's true intentions. They both donned cheshire cat grins, nodding in understanding. "We'll need their dorm room numbers first."

"Very well, but I only want you to check through the unnaturally blue-haired and white-haired boys' rooms. I'm not so worried about the child and it would be incredibly rude to search through a lady's room."

{{/End}}

"Hey, Kaoru! Check this out!" Hikaru yelled out, holding a silver gun in his hand. Kaoru emerged from Akihiko's closet with a similar gun in his hand. The two then shared a quick glance at each other before spazzing about the Gekoukan students' room.

"Wait! Do you think they might be part of some gang?" Hikaru proposed. "No way, they looked way too refined to be part of some low-class gang! My guess is, they're probably from some yakuza group, or maybe even the mafia! Look, the guns even have some acronym on it! S.E.E.S. must be the name of the group they're involved with!" Karou replied whilst making extravagant hand gestures. After about an hour or so of throwing out wild guesses as to what the two athletes would be doing with a gun, the twins sat down on one of the beds and paused to take a breath.

"Wow, who would have thought that we would find something like this? Wait till the boss finds out!" Hikaru exclaimed, writhing with excitement imagining the blonde's horrified expression upon hearing about their findings.

"But something else is bothering me…Do you think that those girls and that kid are involved too?" Kaoru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I doubt the kid would get involved with something so violent at his age…As for the girls…I can't say for sure," Hikaru replied.

The two then fixed up the room to make it look as if they had never stepped foot inside and left with the guns in their jacket pockets.

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><p>"Today will be your first day on the job, but before we get you to work, we must determine what your 'type' is," Tamaki announced to the newcomers.<p>

"Type?" the three boys asked in unison.

Just then, a motor was heard running underneath the clubroom's floor and the ground began to shake. "Ohohohoho!~" A brown-haired girl with her hair tied in a bow emerged from underground, mic in hand wearing a huge cat grin. "So these are the new recruits, huh? Not bad…"

"Who is this?" Akihiko asked.

"This is Renge, our manager," Kyoya replied curtly.

"That's right! And now, you can leave it to me to figure out what type of hosts these three will become!" She then stopped and stared at the trio for several, prolonged minutes before nodding her head with please. "You!" she pointed to Akihiko, catching him off-guard. "You're the 'awkward type'! And you", this time, she pointed her finger towards an unnerved Minato, "you're the kuudere* type! And finally, hmmmm…" She then proceeded to stare at the grade schooler for what seemed like hours, making the ten-year old feel extremely uncomfortable. "Well, we already have a cute, lolita-shota type, so this is going to be a tough one…He definitely doesn't look like the 'little devil' type. The 'little brother type' maybe? Oh, how about the-"

"Will you please stop associating me with titles meant for kids? I'm not a little kid anymore! I'll have you know, I've been drinking milk everyday, and I've grown much taller compared to last year!" Ken lashed out.

"That's it! You're the mature, 'Don't treat me like a kid' type! Oh, but that seems a bit too long…I guess we'll just go with the 'mature child' type to contrast to Honey's 'lolita-shota' type instead!" Renge nodded to herself with a pleased expression, and before everyone could blink, the floor shook and Renge descended to wherever the heck she usually disappears from.

"Well then, now that that's decided, I'll have Tamaki teach you the basics of being a host while the rest of us prepare for the incoming customers." With that, Kyoya left the three in the hands of the host club's 'king'. Tamaki then did as instructed and explained everything there is to being a perfect host, complete with dramatic movements, gestures, and examples. After he was done with his whole spiel, there were a few minutes to spare so Tamaki sent Ken off to play with Honey, and then proceeded to have a "talk" with the other two new members.

"So, word on the street is, joining Yakuza groups are what's 'in' among commoners nowadays…Am I correct?"

"Not that I know of," Akihiko replied unphased.

"Not interested," Minato stated, his expression not betraying his words.

"Oh, I see…Then are guns often used for self-defense, decoration, or are you two hiding a much graver secret?" Tamaki then proceeded to show the two the guns that were swiped by the twins during their "investigation".

"Th-those are, well, th-they're," Akihiko stuttered.

"They're what?" the twins asked, as they approached the group with sly grins.

"Remember that story my sister told you guys yesterday?"

The three hosts nodded their heads.

"After my…'fans' started going to lengths such as stalking me in the hallways and locker rooms, my sister suggested that I start bringing some kind of device to protect myself if the need for it should arise. I am well aware of the fact that, if used incorrectly, guns could pose a threat to both myself and my sister, so I had a 'special' one made. Akihiko-senpai has the same issues as mine, so he has one as well."

"Is that so? I'm sorry for rudely accusing you earlier…" Tamaki answered, his face falling in defeat.

"Wait a moment," Kaoru interrupted, "I'd like to know what it is that makes your guns 'special'. And what S.E.E.S. stands for."

Akihiko gulped and paled a bit and then looked to Minato for support. The bluenette shook his head and took one of the guns from Tamaki's head. He then pointed it towards Tamaki, much to the surprise to everyone present in the room. He then pulled the trigger, and time seemed to stop…Nothing happened.

"Wait!" Hikaru shouted, breaking the silence, "You mean to tell me that the gun is special because it doesn't shoot any bullets?"

"Yep"

A pregnant pause followed before Kaoru found his voice and finally asked, "Then what does S.E.E.S. stand for?"

"S.E.E.S. is the name of the company that makes these fake guns…It stands for Shiro, Emiri, Enma, and Saya, the names of the siblings who co-founded the company. The gun is fake, but the quality will have any crazed stalker mistake it for the real deal."

"_This kid is uncannily good at lying…Now I don't know if I can trust him or not whenever I ask for his opinions…"_ Akihiko thought.

"Well then, I deeply apologize for accusing you of…being a yakuza member…" Tamaki then proceeded to huddle in his corner of woe. Much to everyone's surprise, Minato place his hand on the blonde's shoulder, "It's alright, I don't blame you. Anyone could have made an assumption like that", he said with a kind smile. "You're right! Why, if it were someone else in my shoes, they would have made a bigger show upon finding your fake guns! Well, what am I doing sulking here for? Everyone, to your positions! We have guests to greet!" With that, Tamaki left in a flurry of rose petals and sparkles completely recovered. "_I really didn't want to deal with him in that state again…"_ Minato thought as he stood up and followed the other hosts to the front door.

"Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club!"

* * *

><p>"Wow! You must work out a lot!" one of the girls at Akihiko's table gushed. The boy blushed and nodded his head, then took another sip of his coffee. He was never at ease with the opposite sex. In fact, the only girl he could be at ease with thus far was Hamuko…He then shook his head, and loosened the tie around his neck. He wasn't too fond of wearing neck ties, which was one of the reasons why he preferred his school's uniforms. "Oh no! Looks like we're out of time! We hope to see you tomorrow as well, Akihiko!" The girls giggled, then left whilst chatting animatedly with one another. Akihiko sighed audibly to himself as he felt the presence of yet another girl he had to attend too.<p>

"Is this seat taken?"

"Oh, welcome to the-" Akihiko's eyes widened as he took in Hamuko's figure in her casual winter clothes.

"I take that as a yes," the girl chuckled and sat herself down. "Huwah! Look at these sweets! Thank you for the food!" Hamuko then dove for the strawberry shortcake that lay in front of her, ignoring Akihiko's surprised expression.

After a while, Akihiko recovered from his initial shock and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Why can't I be? I'm here to support out members! You get paid per customer right? And besides, the food's free, so this is basically a free lounging area for girls! "

"But why did you choose me to be your host?"

"Well, I can't be at my brother's table for obvious reasons and being at Ken's table would probably get me arrested. So, here I am! I asked Yukari and Mitsuru if they wanted to come and support you guys, but I guess they didn't want to see a bunch of strangers flirting with Nii-san."

Akihiko nodded dumbly in response. This was his chance! Ken was busy dealing with shotacons for the first time and all of his potential rivals were back in Iwatodai. But then, Shinji-

"Hey, Akihiko-senpai!" Hamuko yelled, catching the boxer's attention. "Is there something wrong? You've been sitting there with a really serious expression for a while now…"

"No it's nothing, sorry for worrying you…So, uh, how's tennis practice?"

"It's going well, especially since Rio's really lightened up this past few weeks. Um, senpai?"

"Y-yes?"

"I'm sorry for getting you dragged into this whole host thing…I guess I was a little too tempted by the amount you guys would be paid…But I should have considered your feelings first…"

"It's alright! Really! I'd do anything to help you!" Akihiko then proceeded to blush several shades of red upon realizing what he just said. A light blush graced Hamuko's features as well. "Senpai, you're too nice you know that?" The two shared a laugh and continued to chat and eat sweets in peace until Hamuko's time limit came around.

The rest of the day passed without any further trouble. Minato was a natural at his job, having an endless line of customers pining for his attention. Ken's somewhat nervous and innocent responses to his client's questions sparked their motherly instincts and the poor boy nearly lost his hearing (and temper) upon the girls' constant squealing and gushing at how adorable he acted. Akihiko did just as well as the other two, from his confidence in re-telling a past boxing match to his sudden awkward fidgeting when asked if he had ever been on a date or been in any previous relationships, instantly won his customers over.

"Congratulations on a successful first day, you three." Kyoya then handed them their paychecks for the day. _"Looks like I'm set for college now…"_ Minato thought to himself.

"Great job everyone! Especially you, my dearest Haru – you devilish twins, stay away from her!" Tamaki then proceeded to chase the twins away from the brunette. The room was then filled with smiles and laughter.

And with that, the day ended peacefully.

* * *

><p>"What could you have possibly forgotten at this time of night? It's 12 a.m. and I have a test tomorrow." Haruhi stated with a yawn. She was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a large hoodie. Tamaki was dressed immodestly in his..night gown…holding a flashlight and keeping hold of Haruhi's arm a little too tightly.<p>

"I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep, Haruhi, but I must recover Honey-senpai's bunny before he realizes the one he brought home is a fake. Now, if I remember correctly, the school's laundry room should be, ah-ha!" Tamaki then proceeded to open the door, turn on the lights, and made a mad dash for the stuffed animal that lay good as new on a table at the center of the room. "As usual, the maids do a superb job at cleaning out those stains!"

"Great, good for you. Can I go home, now?"

"Ah, yes, right away my sweet little daughter!" As he said this, the lights went out and the entire room changed to an eerie green color.

"Senpai, this isn't funny."

"It's not me, Haruhi. Oh, It must be those devilish twins again!" He then jumped at the sound of loud screeching. "Or, maybe N-Nekozawa-senpai is up to s-something again…" He said with a nervous chuckle.

Then, out of nowhere, a swarm of black creatures appeared before them.

* * *

><p><strong>*Kuudere - a type of character that seems cold or emotionless but is actually sweet and kind deep down inside.<strong>

**A/N: Yay! I updated! Again, I'd like to thank all of the reviews/alerts/favorites that I've recieved thus far, it's what urges me to keep writing! And to pointless, even if you're an anonymous reviewer, all votes count so I'll think up on some cute Minato/Yukari fluff come next chapter. But keep voting in those reviews, folks, before I finalize the pairings!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: First off, I feel _terrible_ for making you guys wait so long. I had a major writer's block, then went on a trip with my family, then I got a bunch of new games for all of my game systems that distracted me, then I had to catch up with my Summer homework, then I felt like a lazy blob, then school happened.**

* * *

><p>"Persona!"<p>

The sound of glass crashing filled the still room as a bright blue light enveloped it. Before Tamaki and Haruhi stood a white-haired person, or maybe a monster? Neither Tamaki nor Haruhi were quite sure what it was exactly, but they could sense great power flowing from it.

"Agidyne!" yelled a voice. Instantly, the being took out a harp and the dark monsters were burned to crisp. Then, just as quickly as it came, the mysterious being and the dark monsters vanished. "What just happened?" Haruhi asked after a pregnant pause. Tamaki could only stare dumbfounded at the area were their savior had stood earlier. Haruhi sighed and pulled Tamaki along with her, mumbling under her breath about missing dinner along the way.

* * *

><p>"How was it, Arisato?" Mitsuru asked as Minato took a seat in the lounge room reserved by the Kirijo Group. "It's just as you said, there are a large amount of shadows in this area. Thankfully, they were all low-level," he replied. Mitsuru nodded and turned to the rest of the team. "Did anyone else find any new information?" Hamuko raised her hand, and after a nod from Mitsuru, stood up and took a silver suitcase out from behind the couch she was sitting on.<p>

"That's-" Minato began, recognizing the suitcases from their seemingly endless climbing in Tartarus. "Yup, I thought of the same thing. I thought we could only find these items in Tartarus. Mitsuru-senpai, could Ouran High School be connected to Tartarus in some way? I mean, all of the shadows in the area were low-level, so maybe if Gekkoukan is the shadows' nest, then could Ouran be some kind of nursery?"

"That is a highly probable theory", Mitsuru agreed, "It's possible-"

"Hey, Iori, be careful with that!"

"Calm down senpai! See? Nothing to be- woah!"

BANG!

"Junpei-kun! Aragaki-san! Are you alright?"

"Arf!"

"Ugh, that Stupei…" Everyone in the room, including Minato, couldn't help but sweat drop at this scene. After helping the incoming S.E.E.S. members into their respective rooms, the group resumed their meeting.

"Sweet! So we get to skip school and kick some shadow butt! Hitting two birds with one stone!" Junpei exclaimed excitedly. "Would you take this more seriously, Stupei?" Yukari retorted. She then abruptly turned to Mitsuru, furiously yelling, "And why didn't you just tell us that this would be another undercover mission? I was ready to finally go back to what could be considered my normal routine, to life, to just being a normal high school student! But it turns out, this trip was just an excuse to have us risk our lives all over again!"

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence as Yukari continued to glare her upperclassman from where she stood. Mitsuru, at a loss for words, could only avert her gaze to the floor. A hand rested on Yukari's shoulder, and she found herself staring into cold, yet gentle grey eyes. "That's enough, there's nothing we can do about it now", Minato said in a soft, yet stern tone. Yukari hesitated but complied and returned to her seat. Minato returned to his seat next to his sister, and after regaining her composure, Mitsuru drew everyone's attention once more. "I was able to pull some strings and have the rest of the S.E.E.S. members join us before the competition this weekend, and my decision to bring you all here was correct," she then turned to Fuka, and with a slight smile, said "if it weren't for Yamigishi, we would not have been able to locate those two Ouran students." Fuka smiled shyly at the attention, a slight blush gracing her face.

"Wait a sec!"Junpei exclaimed, "Does that mean they might be persona users? Or are they like all those other guys that got lost in Tartarus?"

"I cannot say for sure at the moment, but I believe that it may simply be the former case", Mitsuru replied. "Now that we have that settled, I would like you all to conduct investigations in your spare time. Aigis, Yamagishi, Iori, and Shinjirou, since neither of you are participating in the Sports Invitational, you must be with either one of us to roam the school building, do I make myself clear?" Arisato, Akihiko, and Amada, continue your investigations at the Host Club and keep a sharp eye on Fujioka and Suoh."

And with that, Mitsuru turned on her heel and left the room.

"We only have three more days until the competition, and then we'll have to leave this place. Does she really think we can figure out what's going on with what little time we have left here?" Yukari continued to grumble in her seat, much to the discomfort of the rest of her teammates. "Yukari…" Hamuko began. Yukari turned to her, her frown replaced with a forced smile, "It's alright, I'm sorry for making such a fuss. I'll go on ahead to bed." As soon as she left, the entire to team let out a sigh.

"But man! The three of you are working at a host club now? Geez, if I had known earlier that being involved with a club would get me a job flirting with a bunch of rich chicks, I would have signed up earlier!"

In Yukari's stead, Shinjirou bopped Junpei's head, muttering a "Stupei" under his breath.

* * *

><p>"It's true! Haruhi and I were surrounded by these black blobs and creepy monsters last night! But thankfully, I kept my cool and was able to calm down my dear little daughter!"<p>

"Now that's just sad," Hikaru began. "To think that our dear King would go so far as to make up some B-rated horror story to get attention", Karou finished.

"Wha- No! I am not attention-deprived! Haruhi, defend your daddy!"

"Huh?"

"Haru-chan, are you okay? You've been spacing out since you got here."

"I'm fine, Hunny-senpai. There have just been a lot of things on my mind lately since last night."

"Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed, pride welling up inside of him at the thought of his dear Haruhi defending his claim.

"I didn't make it home in time to cook dinner, so I've been thinking of what dish to make for my Dad as an apology."

"NO!"

* * *

><p>"Woah! So this is where you guys have been working?" Junpei let out a low whistle as he made his way inside. "Minato-san, I detect several enemies", Aigis stated as she clung protectively unto Minato's arm, surveying the area and glaring at any girl that tried to approach them. The rest of the group sweat-dropped at the android's actions, but they were all, more or less, accustomed to it by now. Hamuko giggled from the side as the rest of the group continued to stare at their surroundings in awe. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked to see that she stood between Yukari and Mitsuru. She looked to her friends for help, Ken gave her an apologetic look and Minato seemed to preoccupied with Aigis to notice. Everyone else either didn't notice, or simply didn't want to get involved. Akihiko turned to her, but as soon as he saw Mitsuru's icy glare, he turned his attention elsewhere, not wanting to risk an execution. She sighed to herself, "<em>This is going to be a long day."<em>

"Ah, there you are. I see you brought along some friends. My name is Kyoya Ootori, it is a pleasure to meet you." An array of sparkles and roses accompanied his introduction, which earned him a chorus of squeals and "kyas!" He turned to Aigis, and in a stern yet gentle tone, began, "Miss, I apologize, but unless you are a customer you cannot cling unto any of our hosts during their shifts."

"All I have to do is become a customer for this establishment? Understood. How much will Minato-san cost?"

"Aigis-san, I don't think that's what he means", Fuka explained hurriedly. She wasn't too fond of some of the dirty looks directed at Aigis.

"Yes, quite. Customers actually do not have to pay a fee to enjoy our Host Club. Simply enter and pick a host that fancies your taste, of course, it would seem that you have already chosen yours," the bespectled teen observed with a chuckle. Why don't we get you all settled down first.

"And then, out of nowhere, we heard some guy yell out 'Persona!'"

Minato immediately turned in the direction of that comment, and before anyone could blink, escaped Aigis's tight grip and grabbed Tamaki's, dragging him out of the room.

"What does that kid think he's doing?" Shinjirou exclaimed in frustration. "No, this is Minato-senpai we're talking about, I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve," Ken stated firmly and ran out the room, with the rest of his upperclassmen following suit.

After they left the room, a smile crept up Kyoya's face. "I wonder what the Kirijo group is up to this time? This should be interesting."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Again , I'm really sorry for taking so long in updating. Your reviews, favorites , and alerts were my fuel to keep up this story. I'll try to update more in the weekends, and hopefully ,school won't come in the way as much. I'll try to post up a longer chapter sometime next week, so look forward to that! Oh, and for the record, I don't hate Yukari or anything, but for some reason, I felt that she'd be the most angsty in the group if something like this happened. So, yeah.**

**As for pairings, we have:**

**Akihiko/Hamuko – 2**

**Minato/Yukari – 2**

**Oh, and to "Too Lazy to Log In"- I apologize for any further mistakes I make while writing and appreciate some of your tips. Regarding yaoi and yuri, it's not that I hate it, I just prefer heterosexual pairings. As for Mitsuru mentioning "moe" in an earlier chapter, that was meant to be a hint that Mitsuru actually keeps in touch with some trends in Japan. As for my English, truth be told, I speak it much better than when it's in writing. My sister suggested I try this out to improve my writing skills. If you (or any other reviewer, for that matter) have anymore suggestions, please don't hold back as I do realize that my writing is still really rough, and will make edits if necessary.  
><strong>

**Well then, hope to see you soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

"What is wrong with you?" Tamaki exclaimed as the shorter boy loosened his grip.

"Last night", he began, " was a dream."

"What?" Tamaki deadpanned. The rest of the S.E.E.S. members, upon hearing this, flopped to the ground at Minato's terrible cover-up. "Wait, were you in the school last night? I get it, you're with those creepy monsters things, aren't you? That's why you have such hollow eyes and unnaturally blue hair!" The blonde pointed an accusatory finger at the bluenette, his expression as stern and serious as he could possibly make it. His gaze did little to deter the wild card, you stared at blankly at the blonde's face. "Such a scary gaze! There's no doubt about it! You're trouble!"

Before the issue could escalate any further, Hamuko decided to interject, "Um, Haruhi told us about what happened. She was complaining about how you kept clinging onto her and shrieking at the slightest sound, so my brother thought that maybe your mind, overrun with fear, was probably just imagining those things." She offered a tentative smile after completing her ad-libbed explanation as the host slowly lowered his finger. He turned to Minato who was nodding vigorously in agreement with his sister. The self-proclaimed king seemed to be satisfied with Hamuko's words and proceeded to twirl around, emanating sparkles as he attempted to flirt with Aigis and Fuka, which was met with a kick to the face, courtesy of Aigis.

As the blonde exited, rubbing his sore rump, the boys proceeded to their work stations, Junpei laughing at Minato's blunder until Yukari kneed him in the stomach.

-OHSC-

"Minato-san, who's that?"

"Please stay away from Minato-san, you are all dangerous."

"I can't believe you've stooped this low, Aki."

"I'm not doing it by choice, Shinji!"

"Aaaawwww, they have nicknames!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Hamuko-senpai? What's a shotacon?"

"Uhm, erm…"

Needless to say, it was a tiresome day for everyone.

-P3-

"Mommy, I'm so glad you're agreeing to this!" Tamaki exclaimed, glomping his best friend. "Haruhi, you're coming too, right?" The brunette eyed the two suspiciously before proceeding to shake her head adamantly. "Why not, Haruhi?" the Hitachiins asked asked. "Yeah, it'll be fun!" Honey exclaimed. Haruhi continued to shake her head in a negative. She knew that going along with their so-called "Test of Courage" (when it wasn't even close to summer) would only lead to trouble. More importantly, she had to get home right away to cook dinner for her Dad.

"I'll reduce your debt by 50%", Kyouya offered.

Haruhi was sure her Dad wouldn't mind ordering take-out for the night.

-Purse Owner -

"We should split into three groups;" Hamuko suggested as the persona users gathered at the school's entrance. "Splendid idea, Arisato," Mitsuru said with a smile. The other redheaded smiled back and proceeded to group everyone. "Okay! I'm with Akihiko and Shinjiro-senpai, Nii-san's with Aigis and Mitsuru-senpai, and Yukari's with Junpei, Ken, and Koro-chan. Are we all good? Any questions?"

"Yeah, I have one," Junpei said, voice visibly shaking. "What's wrong?" Hamuko asked in concern. "Why'd you put me with that monst- yeowch! Right in the-"

"…." Minato stared at the huffing brunette, his eyebrows knitting into a frown. "Yukari…"

"I'm _fine!_ Come on Ken, Koro!" The two both let out a whimper, but obediently followed the archer, Junpei lagging slowly behind.

The twins sighed. This was going to be a long night.

- 10 minutes to midnight, some dark hallway–

"Are you sure it was a good idea? Putting Junpei and Yukari in the same group together?" Akihiko asked in concern for the capped underclassman. "It was the only way", the answered slowly. "Only way for what?" Shinjiro pressed. "The only way for Yukari to let out some steam without harming other innocent people."

Both seniors decided to include the goateed swordsman in their prayers that night.

-Another dark hallway.-

"Yukari-senpai, um-"

"What's wrong, Ken?"

"Um, are you…Are you okay?"

Yukari smiled sadly and patted the grade schooler's head. I'm sorry Ken, Koro. I, I shouldn't have snapped like that earlier. It's just-"

"It's alright, senpai. Koro and I understand. You don't want anyone to get hurt anymore, right?"

"Arf!" The shiba inu barked in agreement.

"Ken…" The shorter brunette was caught by surprise as the teen wrapped him into a hug. "Thanks, you're a sweet kid, you know that?" "Woof!" Yukari giggled, patting Koro's head, "You too, thanks boy."

"Yuka-tan, you might want to lay-off. The kid already has a thing with Hamu-"

Junpei lagged behind the group once more, trying in vain to pull Ken's spear and Yukari's arrows out of his bottom.

-Some other dark hallway. There are a lot of hallways, okay?-

"It's almost midnight," Minato commented, checking his phone. "Minato-san, do not worry. I will protect you." The bluenette patted Aigis's head affectionately, "Sure, I'm counting on you." Mitsuru walked off to the side, feeling out of place. "Minato-san, you should hold Mitsuru's hand."

"…What?"

"Excuse me?"

"Minato-san should hold Mitsuru's hand. She looks sad, and Junpei-san told me that if a nice boy holds a girl's hand, she becomes happy. Minato-san's a nice boy. If Minato-san holds Mitsuru's hand, she will be happy, correct?"

The two were at a loss for words. After what seemed like an hour (though only a few seconds had passed), Aigis huffed and proceeded to grab hold of Minato's right hand. The android smiled, feeling the warmth emanate between their hands. "See? I am happy now. Mitsuru-san, take Minato-sans' other hand and you will be happy too."

Mitsuru blushed, debating whether or not she should take the chance. Minato sighed, knowing that the debate would never be settled, and grabbed hold of the senior's hand. Mitsuru glanced up, a blush gracing her cheeks. The blonde and blunette stared back, beaming (or as far as beaming could get in Minato's case) at her. "Are you happy now?" The pair asked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I'm alive! Again, sorry for the long absence. I had a bunch of tests, recitals, projects, homework, excuses, excuses. I can't make any promises, but here's hoping I don't get much homework for the last few weeks of school!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **It's literally been years! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. Life got busy, and well. Anyway, this is the final chapter, so the wait is finally over! *Whew!*

* * *

><p>Tamaki held tightly to Kyouya and Haruhi's hands as the trio traversed the dark hallways. Haruhi could feel her right hand losing circulation, but before she could voice her concern, a loud BANG! resonated within the empty hall. Tamaki let out a girlish shriek, face turning pale and lip quivering as he attempted to use Kyouya and Haruhi as shields.<p>

"Senpai, it's probably just the wind or something."

"Really?! Because last time I checked, winds don't have bullets!"

"Indeed. This matter requires further investigation. Come along now;" and without waiting for a reply, Kyouya pulled Haruhi and a reluctant Tamaki to the source of the sound. As Tamaki wailed and Haruhi attempted to calm the hysterical teen, a dark thought clouded Kyouya's mind.

_Kirijo. What are you up to this time?_

* * *

><p>"Are you alright, Akihiko-senpai, Shinjiro-senpai?!"<p>

The trio had been ambushed after they reached the second floor. Both Shinjiro and Akihiko had received the brunt of the surprise attack.

Akihiko gripped his shoulder tightly, wincing against the bruise. "I'm fine. Keep your eyes on the shadows!"

Hamuko nodded firmly, gripping her evoker. "Persona!"

Pixie appeared, healing both Akihiko and Shinjiro's wounds. Both upperclassmen looked to her gratefully before heading back into the battle. "Caesar!" "Castor!"

Their personas tore through the sea of shadows, unleashing attack after attack. The shadows weren't particularly strong, so it was only a matter of seconds before the sea diminished into a mere puddle. Hamuko took a deep breath before preparing for the final blow. "Per-"

"What the heck is this?! An RPG?!"

Hamuko froze in place, instantly recognizing the voice of the Host Club president. The shadows took advantage of her momentary pause and lunged forward.

"Not on my watch!"

Akihiko shielded Hamuko from the attack, retaliating with a sears of punches that sent the offending shadow away before finally dissipating.

"Wh-what's going on here."

Wide brown eyes met with Hamuko's worried gaze. The remaining shadows had all dispersed, leaving behind three tired teenagers. Tamaki's gaze turned to Hamuko's evoker, eyes widening in alarm.

"A g-g-g-g-g-"

"Gun."

Kyouya pushed his glasses up, thoroughly examining the S.E.E.S. members' current state. He took in the arm bands, the high-quality weapons, and the battle scars that he felt foolish for not noticing before. "So this is what Kirijo's been up to. Well, this is certainly a rather…_interesting_ turn of events."

"Wait!" Hamuko walked up to Kyouya, eyes brimming with determination. "This is…a water gun. Those black things you saw us fighting against were mutated bugs. Only these water guns can effectively kill them. Mitsuru-senpai specifically asked us to be rid of these vile creatures because of our natural athletic abilities. Yes…We are the Spectacular Environmental Enigmatic Saviors!"

Akihiko and Shinjiro were torn between laughing and crying at Hamuko's poorly constructed excuse. Only a pure-hearted idiot would fall for such a-

"Oh! I see!" Tamaki began to nod his head in understanding, glad that his newly appointed hosts weren't actually involved in some sort of creepy occult organization.

"_Ah._" Shinjiro and Akihiko thought; _"This guy's a pure-hearted idiot."_

"Yes, I see as well. That you take us for fools. Only an idiot would buy such an obvious lie."

"Hey! Why are you looking at me like that?! Hey-"

_Sakura Kiss~ Doki-_

"Uh, hello?"

"King! You've got to come down here, like right now!"

"Huh? Sorry Kaoru, but right now-"

"She's a robot. Aigis is a _robot!_"

"Wha-"

At this, Tamaki turned a questioning gaze to Hamuko and her companions. Lips slightly quivering, he asked; "Is Aigis a robot?"

"And please," Kyouya began, "don't say that she's some kind of time traveler that arrived from the future to be rid of these 'mutant bugs' you speak of. Because honestly, that story sounds even more ridiculous than a robot masquerading as a high school student."

Hamuko remained silent for a while, contemplating her options. "Um…She's American?"

* * *

><p>The Hitaachin twins stared in a combination of awe and fear as Minato, Mitsuru, and Aigis mercilessly mowed down each shadow crowding the otherwise empty hallways.<p>

"Mabufudyne!"

"Mahamaon"

"Fatal End!"

"Hey Hikaru… Should we, I dunno, help them?"

"And risk getting mauled by those monsters?! And I'm not talking about those creepy black things!"

* * *

><p>"Woah! So your puppy fights too?! That's amazing!" Honey beamed at the persona users as if he didn't just witness the quartet tear a group of shadows a new one. The shiba inu barked excitedly at the praise as Honey continued to pet his head affectionately."<p>

"You okay?" Mori asked the other bemused persona users.

Yukari blinked in surprise before nodding. "Y-yeah, we're fine. A few scratches here and there, but we'll live."

"I see."

"He seems like a nice person, huh?" Junpei asked, grinning as he moved to stand beside the brunette. "Heh. Yeah." The pair looked on fondly as Mori offered Ken a few sweets from his pocket and Honey continued to affectionately pet Koromaru. Yukari eventually looked away, reaching for her cellphone.

"Anyway, I better call Hamuko and Minato and tell them that we've cleared our area."

"You think the others ran into those host club guys?"

"With our luck? Definitely."

* * *

><p>Mitsuru and Kyouya stood staring-glaring? It was hard to tell. Anyway, the two stood facing each other, not making any move to speak first.<p>

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore!" Tamaki ran forward, getting in the middle of the deathly staring contest. "Okay, first off, mademoiselle…What the heck is going on?! What were those black things you were fighting? What is up with your guns and the weird people that pop out of it? And why is the school suddenly all green and creepy and filled with ketchup!"

"King, that's bloo-"

"It's KETCHUP! So! Answers first! Then you and Kyouya can continue…whatever it is you were doing!" Tamaki let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding before tentatively turning to Kyouya. To his surprise, the spectacled vice president was _smiling_. _Grinning_. This was officially the scariest night Tamaki had ever had to live through. Kyouya ignored his friend's dumbfounded look and turned his gaze back to Mitsuru. "Yes, I'd also like to know what your group has been up to."

Mitsuru heaved a heavy sigh, and for the briefest of seconds, she looked old. Much too old. As if she had seen, done, and experienced things far beyond his comprehension. But in the blink of an eye, she beheld his gaze with an icy one of her own, shoulders held back and chin held up. "I suppose I should start from the beginning."

* * *

><p>Mitsuru's tales of the S.E.E.S's exploits took up the time remaining in the Dark Hour. The host club listened on silently, some in disbelief, others in awe. The quirky group of teens (and robot…and grade schooler…and…dog) had settled in one of the classrooms in the first year's hallways, with the Kirijo heiress capturing all of their attentions from the teacher's seat. Once she was done, a long silent followed. The host club members looked at each other unsurely before Tamaki stood up and strode toward Mitsuru.<p>

"Thank you. For everything."

The redhead's eyes widened in surprise, glancing briefly towards a certain blunete in the front row. He gave her an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. Mitsuru closed her eyes before smiling back at the host club president.

"You're welcome."

After meeting up with a flustered Fuka at the school entrance and reassuring her that no, the host club would not be reporting them for vandalism or any equally heinous crime; the group began to drift apart to their respective lodgings.

"Ah, wait a moment Ootori."

Kyouya turned around, meeting with fiery red eyes.

"How long have you known?"

He smirked, crossing both of his arms. "I do believe you're aware that my family has ties to health care. Well, where do you think those potions sold at the Aohige Pharmacy come from?"

Mitsuru let out a soft chuckle. "I see. And I suppose you wanted to see the fruits of your labour tonight?"

"Well, those investments certainly seemed to have paid off. You managed to scare the _twins_, after all."

* * *

><p>The remaining few days of the sports invitational went by in a blur, and in the blink of an eye, the S.E.E.S. have all packed up their bags, ready to return to Iwatodai. Tamaki, ever the drama queen, held each of his "proteges" in a tight embrace and vigorously shook each member's hands. Honey handed Koromaru some rather expensive looking dog treats before he embraced the shiba inu one last time. Mori and Ken had formed an odd sort of friendship at some point, and the senior was last seen patting the younger boy's head and giving him a bag of rather expensive looking sweets. The twins slapped Junpei on the back, their own strange way of saying good-bye to their new favorite prank target (though Junpei couldn't help but note that the twins tried to avoid eye contact with Mitsuru, Minato, and Aigis). Kyouya and Mitsuru nodded gratefully to each other, feeling that no further words needed to be said.<p>

Haruhi watched on the scene with a fond smile, still finding it strange that their new friends would be leaving so soon.

"Haruhi!"

Hamuko ran up to the other girl, grasping her hands firmly. "Promise me that you'll contact me if the other host club members are giving you a hard time, okay?"

Haruhi smiled, nodding in agreement. The two had become rather close friends throughout the duration of Hamuko's stay, and Haruhi was honestly just glad to have a sane female friend to bemoan over cross-dressing troubles with.

"How long are you going to continue dressing like that?"

Haruhi looked up to find Hamuko's brother staring intently at her. Was he…worried? Haruhi hadn't conversed with Minato as much as she had with his sister, but it didn't take long for the brunette to realize that the older boy had the same level of kindness and selflessness that his sister radiated. He just happened to be less vocal about it.

"Until my debt is paid, I suppose."

"I see. You can…You can contact me as well, if they ever give you trouble."

A rare smile graced Minato's features before he turned to leave with his sister in tow. Haruhi watched as the group began to file into their bus. Even though they hadn't known each other very long, Haruhi felt as though she had just established…

"An unbreakable bond."

"Hm? What was that Haruhi."

The brunette shook her head, watching as the bus began to pull away from the drive way. Hamuko was waving at her enthusiastically from the bus's window, her other arm pulling her brother's along in the same waving motion.

"It's nothing, senpai." She smiled up at Tamaki, hands held behind her back. "It's just, it's going to be a little quieter in the club room now, won't it?"

"You know, if you ever want to see them again, just come to me! Your daddy will prepare a helicopter and fly us straight to Iwatodai in a matter of minutes!"

Haruhi felt her eye twitch. _These friggin' rich people._

-END-


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** This page is dedicated to bits of info I was unable to include in the fic itself.

-Kyouya first experienced the Dark Hour when he was in the fifth grade. He believed that it was but a childish nightmare until he experienced it again in the eigth grade. This led him to investigate the matter, and through extensive research, was able to track down the Kirijo's Lab's records. It was only a matter of time before he would find out about Mitsuru's plans to form a team of persona users, and Kyouya, not wanting to wake up to the Dark Hour again, decided to lend a helping hand as well. The events in this story would be the third and last time Kyouya would have to experience the Dark Hour again.

-Kyouya does _not_ have the potential and neither do any of the other host club members.

- The other host club members never experience the Dark Hour again.

- When Hamuko and Minato told Elizabeth and Theo about their trip, the Velvet Room siblings commented that their meeting and experiences may have all been scripted by fate.

- True to his word, Tamaki drags Haruhi and the rest of the host club members to impromptu trips to visit their new friends in Gekoukan during weekends and holidays.

-When Tamaki and Ryoji meet, utter chaos ensues. Aigis does her best to keep the two apart.

Anyway, that's all for now. Thank you all so much for reading through this, and again, I'm so sorry for taking so long to finish! *bows head deeply*


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